Old Father Time moving through life’s pace, with wisdom etched on his ancient face.
Shackled dance of dusk and dawn, Old Father Time not forever drawn.
Through twilight’s veil and morning’s prime, he weaves the threads of fleeting time.
His gaze a witness of the ages, unfolding history’s boundless pages.
A garment of cloth and cloak, a tapestry of years, concealing memories of smiles and of tears.
Old Father Time moving through life’s pace, with wisdom etched on his ancient face…
This life consists of two days, one for you and one against you. So when it’s for you don’t be reckless and pomp.
And when it’s against you, be patient. Both days are but a test of your resolve.
Whatever is limited and temporal holds the highest value. This is certainly factual in economic principles. We are immersed within the confines of a 24-hour day and are measured by what we do within the time we have. Yet to understand and appreciate the currency of time requires a complete emergence of the here and now.
Daïra is the Arabic word for circle. Within ancient Persian civilisations, Daïra was used to describe a home, a collective being. Around 650 BC Thales of Miletus; a renowned philosopher remembered for his works on cosmology based on water as the life of all matter, founded the symbol of the circle. It remains poetic justice as to the asymmetry of the notion of life being attributed to a circle, as concepts belonging to the same person. Connotations of the circle representing totality, eternity and the self are well grounded within all schools of thought; be them spiritual or otherwise.
How coincidental then that time is measured within a circle. The hands of a clock returning to their start to signify a complete cycle. I, like many, often think of time as a guarantee. Its finite nature lost on my sense of expectations as I believe I have all the time in the world to live out my dreams and wishes. A small part of me knows this is wishful thinking sure, but when faced with the reality of how momentarily short existence is, I am left humbled.
We are all aware of the age-old saying of “tomorrow isn’t promised”. Though a morbid and raw reminder of an inescapable truth, we at times choose not to take the principles of this saying into our days.
Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of a male figure perfectly inscribed within a square, imposed within a circle – the Vitruvian Man, emphasising balance and symmetry of the human form. Many believe the esoteric meaning of the world’s most famous drawing depicts the connection between humans and the universe. We’re bound by the limitations of time, however due to our existence within its very definition being finite, each moment can be seen as momentous and magical – worth celebrating beyond our wildest thoughts.
This transience is especially understood after becoming a Parent for the first time. Growing from a child to a parent represents the completeness of life. And within this completeness lives a deeply seeded truth, what comes to life comes to pass. As my mother holds my daughter on her lap; with a reciprocity of an exchange of smiles between both, the circle of life completes.
My daughter is soon to become 1 😊
Strange how a number is indexed to measure life. A bird in a cage.
And in these numbers do we attribute importance. As if they represent landmarks. Why wait for a number to be reached to celebrate existence when we can do that now? I type this with a candle in a cupcake for myself. Though month’s ahead of my actual birthday, I find in this moment of self-celebration, an appreciation is felt.
As cliché as this may sound, I try to be my own best friend. I reserve one pat on the back a year for myself and I’ll make sure it’s only given when I genuinely feel proud of myself. My moments of achievement are usually celebrated by a meal and movie reserved only for me. Happiness has always lived within the little things.
I recently treated myself to a Le Creuset red mug over the weekend. I finally justified the £15 purchase 5 years in the wanting. Much to my Wife’s disbelief, as the shock of £15 for a cup flabbergasted her, my response was simple – “it makes me happy”, and it actually does. She tried convincing me she could buy a whole set within that price and they would look nicer, as opposed to the “ugly thing I’d picked up”, but I fought the good fight haha, and won! I had chucked away the receipt for good measure. A storm in a teacup 😉
Only in the fullness of time are new perspectives formed, new optics realised. Often thought of as linear motion, when changing this concept, time can also be thought of as malleable and fluid, depending on our perception and attention. Though I guess it’s all relative – just ask Einstein!
I think of time as abstract, a canvas being painted on. Painted with the colours of our experiences, memories, moments. And what’s great is it’s entirely up to me what I want my masterpiece to look like.
One thing is for sure. When it’s all said and done, I want to take a step back and smile with awe at the site.
What does your painting look like?